Hand in Hand
by le-jpforever6
Summary: One-shot. James messed up, he knew that he had. Lily was furious... can James weasel his way out of this situation or will the two be brought together in an unexpected way? Better than it sounds, I promise!


James Potter paced back and forth across the Heads' common room, waiting for the Head Girl to return. He knew she was going to be angry with him. _How could she not be? _James contemplated to himself as he finally sat down on the couch in the middle of the room. The fire was slowly dying and James grew more anxious waiting for Lily's arrival.

Hearing the portrait slam and waking him up from his thoughts, James stood up and smiled grimly at the love of his life. Fellow seventh year Gryffindor Lily Evans walked straight up to James and simply stared at him. Even with her face burning bright red and stray pieces of hair escaping from her ponytail, James had never seen a more beautiful girl. No, girl could not accurately describe her. She was a woman: a beautiful, intelligent, kind-hearted yet fierce woman. The intensity of her gaze unnerved him and he was surprised that she hadn't yelled her head off yet.

As if on cue reading his thoughts, Lily broke out. "HOW DARE YOU? Do you really think you had the nerve to publicly humiliate me in front of the ENTIRE school? I expect this from Sirius or even fifth year Potter, but not you James. You were supposed to be my friend, one of the few people I trust and admire. Then you had to go and subject me to that disaster?" She abruptly stopped talking and just stood there, her arms hanging limply beside her, like she had no fight left in her. The look of sadness broke James' heart. He just wanted her to yell or hit him, something that showed she still had her fighting spirit.

"L-lils?"

"Don't Lils me, Potter."

James grimaced at Lily. "Back to Potter, are we? Come on Lils. I messed up; I made a huge mistake and I am so sorry but just talk to me. Please."

The desperation and almost patheticness in his voice stopped her from retorting with cruel insults. She sat down on the vacant couch and put her face in her hands. James stood there, not knowing how to react. He wanted to reach out and comfort her, but he knew that she would push him away. She always pushed him away, no matter how much he knew that she cared. Once he saw her shoulders shake, he couldn't stand there idly anymore.

"Lily?" He sat down quietly beside her and put his arm around her shoulder. She didn't attempt to remove it, so he continued to comfort her and speak. "Lils, I am so sorry. I truly am. I just, I don't know what happened. It was supposed to be a simple prank, the Marauders wanted to make everyone feel the holiday spirit. And then, Peter just kept going. He was supposed to stop. But that's no excuse. I just, I care about you so much and I'm sorry I hurt you."

Lily stood up and slowly walked towards the stairway that led to her dormitory. At the foot of the stairs, she turned and looked back at James, who was still sitting on the couch. "For someone who cares, you sure do have a funny way of showing it."

At this point, James had completely given up any hope he had. He knew that his relationship with Lily had just taken a turn for the worse. But hearing her say this, his anger flared and before he knew it, he replied back.

"A funny way of showing it? Are you kidding me? For years, I went around it the wrong way. I teased you and picked on you and played countless pranks. I constantly badgered you, asking you out. And each time, you still refused to acknowledge that maybe I did care. This year, and the end of last year, I have worked so hard just for you. I pay attention in class, I study hard for exams, I work hard on Head duties and pranking has been severely minimized. All for you. My every thought, my every action, my entire life… revolves around you. All for you."

Lily took a step closer to James and looked up into his hazel eyes. She knew that she cared; there was no denying that fact. But she couldn't deal with the public spectacles anymore. Lily was a leader, an example for fellow students and dating someone like James just wasn't an option.

"James, I never asked you for all of this. I never wanted hundreds of flowers or constant lunch requests. And I know you have changed, look how close we have become this year. I tell you everything James, more than Marlene or Alice. But I can't be with you, it's just not possible."

James looked down at her and thought his heart had broken. "You can't be with me or you don't want to be with me?"

"I just.. I just can't James."

"I'm not going to give up Lily. I know you care about me. Maybe you don't realize it but deep down, you know that we are meant to be."

"James please, just leave me be. I'm no good for you anyway." At this point, Lily had begun to break down and a small tear escaped from the corner of her eye.

Closing the space between them, James stepped forward and used his finger to wipe away the tear from her face. He looked at her with a mix of adoration, confusion, and hurt. " Lily love, there is no way on this earth you could be no good for me. You- the kindest, most beautiful woman I have met. You are so smart, so brave, so warm to everyone you meet. You have this glow about you- I fall in love with you every time you laugh, every time you smile. I love you, Lily Evans. I have for years and I promise you I will never give up on you. Ever."

Throughout his entire speech, Lily felt a sense of surprise and warmth from James. It astounded her that the prank-loving Marauder, the Quidditch phenomenon, heartthrob of Hogwarts would want her, would love her. She responded the only way she knew how; she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. Their first kiss was everything it should be; sweet and innocent, yet with the passion of love. She pulled back and looked up at him; his eyes were still closed and he was tracing his lips with his fingers in a dream like trance. Lily felt a small giggle escape her lips as she watched, amazed by how happy she felt.

"Hey James, can I ask you something?"

James opened his eyes and looked down at the girl he loved more than anything in the world. He grinned widely and replied, "You can ask for anything, except for me to leave. I don't think I could ever leave you.. Especially after that."

Lily's smile widened as he spoke. "No, I just was wondering if… Well I was hoping that… Would you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

James laughed loud at that. His laugh, she realized, was one of the most beautiful sounds she had ever head. He shook his head from side to side as he replied. "You stole my line, love." Lily smiled to as she wove her fingers through his, impressed at how perfectly their hands fit together.

That's how James and Lily would be for the rest of their short lives. Through the trials and tribulations that life brought their way, James and Lily always stood together: partners, equals, lovers, friends… hand in hand, ready to face the world.


End file.
